Congress has passed an $825 billion FY24 defense spending bill, but the plan to get Ukraine military assistance across the finish line remains uncertain. If Congress does not approve a federal appropriations plan by midnight, some military activities could be postponed or canceled over the weekend. Under the latest congressional budget plan, troops E-6 and below could start getting monthly bonuses from the Defense Department to offset low base pay. The money would come on top of the $274 million for barracks restoration in the service’s official budget request. There are currently eight psychedelic therapy trials taking place across the country through the VA. The White House's budget request for fiscal 2025 calls for a 2% reduction in the size of the Veterans Affairs workforce next year. The increase falls short of what the Corps has indicated it would cost to fix the living facilities’ issues. The Pentagon is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars for mental health and suicide prevention programs, among others. Veterans Affairs programs would get another significant bump in fiscal 2025 under the budget request released by President Joe Biden on Monday. Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of March 11, 2024. Load More